How Not To Automate Your Social Media Campaign

Automating your social media strategy is a good way to save time, but it may not pay off in the long run, according to Melissa Leiter, an independent marketing consultant who specializes in social media strategy.

“While I’m all about using social media automation the right way to get your messages out there, make sure you are taking time to engage on social media in real time as well,” Leiter writes in Social Media Today. She notes that there are certain shortcuts that will cause people to disconnect from your social media persona. Here’s what she suggests you should avoid:

Automatic “Thank you for following me” messages on Twitter: Many brands and identities on Twitter will set up a message to arrive in the inbox of anyone who follows them on the microblogging platform. These messages usually thank the person for deciding to follow them and direct the follower to seek out the handle on other social networks, such as Facebook.

“They aren’t personal, they aren’t affective and if you’re like me, they really make you want to UNfollow that person right away,” Leiter says.

Being unresponsive to social contact from others: Don’t just spew your content out; make sure you’re listening, too. “As a small business, I know you probably don’t have as much time for social media as you wish. If you’re keeping your social media in-house, a good rule of thumb is to immediately respond to any fires that need to be put out and then respond within at least 24 hours to any other types of engagement,” Leiter writes.

Cross posting the same messages on every platform: You should tailor your messaging so that it fits the location where you’re posting it. “Every social media platform is different,” Leiter says. “Don’t just post a blog post with the same title across multiple platforms. This tends to make you appear as robotic and generally doesn’t spark good engagement.”

Simply retweeting/sharing other people’s content: It may seem easier than taking the time to add your own voice, but you need to give people a good reason to follow you. “Don’t do what everyone else is doing. Create your own unique content. Be your own person!” Leiter says.